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Drag Specialties is proud of its vendors. Only the highest quality,
best fitting superior designed products and companies can become part
of Drag Specialties. What follows are stories about three companies that
Drag Specialties is proud to call part of their family. Some have been
with Drag Specialties for a long time, others are relatively new, but
all three are top notch and quite frankly, they just want to brag about
them.
Joel Felty has been making headlights since 1992. He came up with the name
Headwinds from his favorite band in high school.
 ince
1992, Headwinds has proudly offered the finest quality lighting
to motorcycle and hot rod builders who demand the best. Headwinds
headlights feature smooth, non-wavy surfaces with mirror finishes.
Innovations that do away with exposed rivets, bolts, and flanges;
like threaded housings with screw-in bezels and billet brackets
with hidden fasteners are only part of what makes their product
line among the finest available anywhere. Headlight Housings are
offered in 7”, 5-3/4”, 4-1/2” and 2” models.
Turn Signals are offered in 3” and 1-3/8” models.
Joel
Felty is the founder of Headwinds and is considered by many to be the “godfather” of
custom headlights. Joel was the first to perfect the custom spun billet
headlight. Felty had a good job, a degree and a license in engineering
when he decided he wanted to own a Harley-Davidson. So, like a good
engineer, he looked for flaws in typical motorcycle designs with the
idea of creating something that was better than anything being offered,
something he could make and sell on his own in order to save up
the cash he needed to buy his own Harley. After looking long and
hard he realized that no one was making a really cool headlight.
So he created and made a billet headlight that looked good. His
idea was to make a headlight with no rivets or flanges, something
completely clean. Of course he sold every single one he could make and
little by little built up the business until he got too busy to keep
his other job.
When
Felty expanded he knew he needed a great name for the company and he
chose Headwinds because “it evokes the feeling of riding and
the headlight is always right up front at the ‘head’ of the
bike.” He also liked the name because it was the name of his favorite
high school band. Apparently, there were two hot high school bands back
in Pasadena, California, “Headwinds” and their cross-town
rivals “Mammoth.” Felty knew some of the band members of
Headwinds and was rooting for them to “make it” over Mammoth.
As it turned out, Mammoth won on the musical score after they changed
their name to Van Halen. But the name Headwinds lives on in Joel Felty’s
business and as part of their beautiful “compass rose” logo.
Headwinds
is still a “mom and pop” business, doing all their
own design work in house. Headwinds lights are extremely popular with
custom builders of both motorcycles and hot rods. Yes, hot rods. Apparently
a rod builder put a set of Headwinds lights on his machine and that roadster
made the cover of a major hot rod magazine. Now a lot of show cars and
bikes use Headwinds lights.
Felty
did his first drawing and made his first headlight in 1992. And now Headwinds
boasts 61 part numbers in the Drag Specialties catalog. That’s a lot of headlights and mounts. “To me,” says
Felty, “Drag is the flagship of quality distribution. If you had
a quality part then Drag would be the guys to carry it. They stock more
of my product then any other distributor. I want my stuff to stand on
its own and for people to think that Headwinds is the top standard of
the industry.” Drag Specialties agrees. 
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Headwinds makes
a wide variety of headlight, turn signal and spotlight housings,
bezels, mounting blocks and brackets. It’s all in the
2005 Drag Specialties FatBook.
Headwinds is fully equipped to make its own tooling, form parts and polish
them just like something you’d see at a custom roadster show.
 
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It’s a family affair at Le Pera
with two generations running the business. Bob Sr. in the foreground
is flanked by son Bob Jr. and daughter Christine. |
Bob Sr. got started in business back in his teenage years doing
auto upholstery. |
Bob Sr. is still an active rider. When he can find the time, he’s off
to some destination such as Lake Tahoe, no doubt testing out one of his latest
designs. |
 or
over 30 years Le Pera, a family operated business, has dedicated itself
to superior design quality and craftsmanship. Founded in 1972, Le Pera
Enterprises has become a world leader in custom motorcycle seats. Bob Le
Pera’s career started more than 40 years ago when he was just a teenager
working in his parent’s leather goods shop. He soon became an expert
in the art of working with leather. In high school he started making leather
upholstery for hot rods and soon the word was out and Bob had a steady
supply of customers who wanted his special touch for their custom cars.
Soon he was working at the famed auto upholstery shop, Tony Nancy’s,
making upholstery for dragsters, show and exotic cars. As the 1970’s
approached Bob became more interested in the chopper scene and soon he
was making custom seats for motorcycles, which became a passion. In 1972
Bob founded Le Pera Enterprises and the rest, as they say, is history.
Passion is still the touch word at Le Pera and for more then 30 years this
family owned and run business has passionately designed, and manufactured
some of the highest quality, best looking seats available for your motorcycle.
The quality of each Le Pera seat is amazing; everything you could want
or ask for is considered and employed in the design. All seats are built
on a beautifully powder coated steel base plate edged with a metal reinforced
vinyl protectant and the bottom of every base plate is carpeted to provide
a friction free surface between seat and fender. For comfort each seat
uses a specially poured high-density marathon molded foam foundation. All
Le Pera seats are covered with premium nagahyde or top grain leather and
are double stitched with bonded polyester thread. Le Pera focuses on Harley-Davidson
motorcycles and their craftsmanship and cutting edge designs have made
them leaders in the custom seat world.
Top builders from around the world use Le
Pera seats. They are one of Drag Specialties oldest vendors and one of
the best. Le Pera has a staggering 206 part numbers in the Drag Specialties
catalog! So it is no exaggeration to say that Le Pera has all your saddle
needs covered. |
The new 15,000 square foot Accutronix facility in Phoenix brings the whole
operation under one roof.
 ince
1985, Accutronix has manufactured some of the highest quality motorcycle
products on the market, at a competitive price. From the beginning Accutronix
has been committed to delivering high-end quality craftsmanship and unique
items that fit easily on stock motorcycles and new models. Famous custom
builders to backyard experimenters choose Accutronix for their complete
forward control kits including all mounting hardware, pegs, and shifters
and brake rods.
Accutronix forward controls have smooth clean lines, finished off with
smooth radius point caps concealing any pivot bolts. And to mount solid
3/4 inch backing plates to your frame, they use flat head bolts-no protruding
ugly bolts or nuts. For variety in your own personal concept bike, Accutronix
offers seven styles and four designs: milled, drilled, slotted and elite-available
in shorty, standard, or extended lengths. You get your choice of matching “Show” pegs
or the new rubber “Rider” pegs, and folding pegs are also
available. Whatever your choice, they have matching rear pegs to complement
their forward controls. And after you have chosen your forward control,
finish up with the complete Accutronix line of covers and grips to match
the unique crown of their pegs and end caps.
Accutronix has been so successful; in fact, that they recently opened
a new facility in order to keep up with the high demand and to create
new products they will add to their already superior product line. The
new 15,000 square foot Accutronix facility will house all their machine
and warehouse needs.
With their flagship forward controls in seven styles, Accutronix already
offers more custom choices then anyone else. The Accutronix product niche
is to cater to the hi-end builder, with everything made in-house of the
highest quality. Just look at their controls and the quality is evident
in every piece. Sealed roller bearings in the mechanism ensure smooth
function with no jiggle, shake or rattle. These controls combine form,
function, and clean styling into one easy-to-install kit for the Harley
Softail, FXR, Dyna, Sportster or FL. Their uniquely designed forward
controls are manufactured from aerospace quality 6061-T6 billet aluminum.
All Accutronix shift and brake assemblies are completely adjustable for
optimum riding comfort. Builders who want to stand out from the crowd
choose Accutronix.
The new Gothic-style triple trees have already become a very popular
item.
The Gothic forward controls with master cylinder are made from show-chromed
6061 T-6 billet aluminum with stainless hardware. (except two models
which are black anodized).
The Gothic forward controls with master cylinder are made from show-chromed
6061 T-6 billet aluminum with stainless hardware. (except two models
which are black anodized).
The Gothic forward controls with master cylinder are made from show-chromed
6061 T-6 billet aluminum with stainless hardware. (except two models
which are black anodized).
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